Methodology
WhereToAdvisor scores destinations using publicly available data. Every metric is documented, normalized to a 0-100 scale, and updated on a regular cycle. Nothing is hidden.
Governance
12% defaultMeasures democratic participation, corruption levels, press freedom, rule of law, and judicial independence.
Sources: Transparency International CPI, Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, V-Dem Democracy Indices, Freedom House.
Economics
18% defaultEvaluates cost-of-living ratio relative to income, tax burden, ease of doing business, labor protections, income inequality (Gini), property ownership rules, and banking access for foreigners.
Sources: Numbeo, World Bank Open Data, OECD Statistics, Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index.
Safety
13% defaultCovers regional violent crime rates, political stability trends, natural disaster exposure, and emergency service quality.
Sources: UNODC, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, EM-DAT International Disaster Database.
Health
13% defaultAssesses healthcare access, out-of-pocket costs, wait times, mental health services, air quality, and life expectancy.
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory, HAQ Index, IQAir, Numbeo Health Care Index.
Education
9% defaultScores public school quality, international school availability, higher education access, and language of instruction.
Sources: OECD PISA Results, ISC Research, UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Culture
10% defaultEvaluates English proficiency, social integration ease, LGBTQ+ safety, religious tolerance, internet speed, and climate preferences.
Sources: EF English Proficiency Index, ILGA World, Ookla Speedtest Global Index, InterNations Expat Insider Survey.
Mobility
10% defaultMeasures visa pathway complexity, passport power, flight connectivity, dual citizenship rules, and time zone difference from home country.
Sources: Henley Passport Index, government immigration authority websites, FlightConnections route data.
Acceptance & Inclusion
15% defaultPersonalized scoring across three layers: legal protections, social acceptance, and on-the-ground safety. Scores adjust based on your profile. A destination produces different acceptance scores for different users.
Sub-scores include LGBTQ+ legal protections, marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, racial tolerance indices, religious freedom, gender equality metrics, and expat social integration data.
Sources: ILGA World Database, Equaldex, Social Progress Index, World Values Survey, Pew Global Attitudes, UN Human Development Reports.
Normalization
Each metric normalizes to a 0-100 scale using min-max normalization against the full destination set. Higher scores indicate more favorable conditions. Composite facet scores are the weighted average of their component metrics. Final destination scores are the weighted average of all eight facets using your preference weights.
Responsible Use: Acceptance & Inclusion
The Acceptance facet follows an asymmetric design principle: it exists to protect vulnerable users, never to sort or filter by demographics. Key safeguards:
Acceptance scores are personalized. The same destination produces different scores depending on your profile. A straight couple and a same-sex couple see different acceptance scores for the same city.
No demographic filtering. You cannot search for destinations by demographic composition. The system scores how welcoming a place is, not who lives there.
Acceptance profile data receives elevated privacy protections: encrypted at rest, never aggregated across users, and deletable on request.